An Overview Of Teenage Pregnancy Sociology Essay

An Overview Of Teenage Pregnancy Sociology Essay In the U.S, about one million teenage girls get pregnant every year and this greatly affects the lives of the teenagers, the children they bare and the society at large. The social behavior and attitude towards sex has greatly contributed to the increase of teenage pregnancy since sex is publicly glorified and is even used as a marketing tool. Teenagers are engaging in sexual activities at an early age since they are exposed to it even before they are mature. It is the role of parents to try and bring up their children in a morally upright manner and advice them on the effects of early pregnancies in their lives. The causes and effects of teenage pregnancy are more of the same. They include poverty, unemployment, and lack of education, low self esteem and in some cases, abuse. Factors leading to teenage pregnancy The causes of teenage pregnancy are both social an also economical. The lack of knowledge on the consequences of teenage pregnancy among the teenagers is the primary factor that leads to teenagers to engage in irresponsible sexual practices. Another contributing factor is the up bringing of the children. The way parents bring up their children as well as the kind of environment they are brought up in contributes realty to the sexual behavior of a child. Parents who do not communicate openly to with their children on social issues such as sex are putting their children at the risk of being teenage parents. The lack of open communication between the children and the parents encourages the children to find other sources of information and in most cases, they go to their fellow students or older friends who may end giving them the wrong or misleading information. On the other hand, children who are brought in an environment that consists of many cases of teenage pregnancies or even in situations where the parents are single mothers or were victims of teenage pregnancy are more likely to follow the same course since it is something normal in their ‘world. The way a child is brought up defines who they are in terms of emotional maturity as well as their communication skills. When children are not taught how to communicate and air their views openly and boldly, they end up suffering from low self esteem and this makes them easy targets and increases their chances of being vulnerable to peer pressure which is also responsible for teenage pregnancy. This lack of communication and guidance from parents also contributes to the childs irresponsible behavior. Poverty is another major factor that contributes to teenage pregnancy. In most low income earning areas, the are no facilities that are used to educate children on the effects of engaging in sexual activities at an early age. In some cases, the children are forced to engage in sexual activities as a way of getting money to support themselves and their families. The wealthier people in these areas take advantage of the young children and promise them a better life in exchange for sex. Ignorance is also another aspect that is come in these areas and is usually brought about by the lack of education. When parents are not well educated, they do not see the importance of educating or discussing sex and other issues that affect the teenagers and the children end up messing up since they were not advised. The kind of messages that are sent to teenagers about sex are also contributing factors to the early engagement in sex which leads to teenage pregnancy. Todays culture glorifies sex and does not put into consideration nor is it accountable for its consequences. The social attitudes on the other hand do not provide a conducive environment for open discussions on sex and resources are not also available for the same. From studies, there are some factors such as poor performance in school that force the children to drop out and when they do, the chances o them engaging in sexual activities are very high and they end up getting pregnant. There are many children who are victims of sexual abuse and this completely messes up with their views and attitude towards sex. These children end up perceiving themselves as sexual objects from an early age and this increases the cases of teenage pregnancy. Effects of teenage pregnancy The effects of teenage pregnancy are felt by the individual victims and also the society. When school going teenagers get pregnant, most of them opt to drop out of school due to shame and also so that they can prepare themselves for the coming baby and motherhood in general. On the other hand, teenage fathers are not in a position to support their families financially so they also end up dropping out of school so that they can work and provide for their family. Since getting a job without education is hard, the students find themselves engaging in criminal activities and drug abuse as they try to find solutions to their state. Most teenage mothers do not have any support from their families so they and up becoming a part of the lower society whereby they are not able to access basic needs such as health care and well balanced diets. This affects their health and the health of their children and sometimes may lead to complications during child birth. Teenage parents pose a great economic and social risk to the society since they are not financially stable. Dropping out of school, doing drug and also engaging in criminal activities by teenage fathers affect the community in terms of the level of security. Dropping out of school means that one is not well educated and therefore, they cannot secure good jobs and this increases the cases of joblessness and this pull down the economic status of the society. When one is not educated, their level of productivity socially and economically goes down and this affects the community at large. Ways of preventing teenage pregnancy. Teenagers should be encouraged not to engage in sexual activities at an early age and they should also be well informed on early pregnancy and its effects. The students should be well educated on the topic of sex as a whole should be discussed in schools and this will help in the reduction of cases of teenage pregnancy. The teenagers should also be educated on the ways of preventing pregnancy and also ways of ensuring safe sex. They should be allowed to access contraceptives as well as family planning services without age being an issue and confidentiality should be assured. Parents on the other hand have a great role to play in ensuring that their children are brought up morally upright and that they should instill confidence and a sense of responsibility in their children so that they can be able to make wise choices and not be pulled away by peer pressure. Motivating children on positive life options and also enhancing the skills of the children I other ways apart from education is also very important since children know that they have a future despite their performance in school and this reduces the cases of school drop outs who would have otherwise ended up getting pregnant.

Our Moral Responsibility to Provide Monetary Aid to Pakistani Villagers Essay

In this essay, I will argue that the theory of Utilitarianism presents resilient, compelling arguments that exemplifies why we have a moral obligation to donate money to help the Pakistani villagers affected by recent floods. Though the argument put forth by Ethical Egoists in favor of donating money to the Pakistanis is convincing, it lacks the quantitative validation that Utilitarianism provides. The Perspective of an Ethical Egoist Ethical Egoism is a consequentialist moral theory that says each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively (EMP 69). A person’s only moral duty is to do what is best for him or herself, and he or she helps others only if the act [of helping] benefits the individual in some way (EMP 63). On the surface, it appears that it is not in a person’s best self-interests to donate money to help villagers in Pakistan. The giver experiences monetary loss and the diminution of personal financial wealth, and expends time, energy, and effort in the donation-transaction process. He or she receives neither public acknowledgement nor donor recognition. There are, however, intangible benefits that the giver may reap as a result of his or her deed, such as the satisfaction that he or she receives from giving monetary aid to the Pakistanis or the happiness that he or she experiences for acting in accordance with his or her values. It is in the giver’s self-interest and, therefore, his or her moral duty to give monetary aid to those plagued by the Pakistan floods. The facts that an Ethical Egoist would consider to be important are the consequences to him or herself because Ethical Egoism is a consequentialist moral theory that revolves around the self. Consequentialism contends that the right thing to do is determined by the consequences brought about from it (Class Notes, 10/05/2010). In this case, the morally relevant facts that the Ethical Egoist is primarily concerned with are the intangible benefits and advantages that he or she would receive from giving. The Ethical Egoist would also consider the actual and implicit costs of giving aid, as they are consequences brought about from helping the Pakistani villagers. The argument put forth by Ethical Egoism is good because it is compatible with commonsense morality. To reiterate, Ethical Egoism says that â€Å"all duties are ultimately derived from the one fundamental principle of self-interest† (EMP 73). According to Hobbes, this theory leads to the Golden Rule, which states that â€Å"we should ‘do unto others’ because if we do, others will be more likely to ‘do unto us’† (EMP 74). In this case, if we do not give to others, other people will not give to us. Thus, it is to our advantage to give to others. The Utilitarian Argument Classical, or Act, Utilitarianism maintains that the morally right act is the one that yields maximum happiness for all sentient beings impartially. Utilitarianism requires us to consider the general welfare of society and the interests of other people. Giving money to help the villagers in Pakistan generates positive consequences and diminishes the negative effects of the floods. Specifically, donations for disaster relief results in the availability of medicines to treat sicknesses, the provision and distribution of cooked meals, hygiene kits, and clothing, and the reconstruction and restoration of homes and schools. In short, giving money relieves great suffering of the flood-affected Pakistanis, enhances the balance of happiness over misery, and endorses the maximum and greater good of society. Therefore, the morally right thing to do is to donate money to help the Pakistani villagers. Similar to Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism is a consequentialist moral theory, though this theory is concerned with the greater good of society. Therefore, the morally relevant facts for a Utilitarian are the consequences to all people impartially. In this case, they include the circulation of food, clothing, medicines, and the restoration of villages. Providing monetary aid ultimately produces the greatest balance of happiness over unhappiness for society. The Utilitarian argument for donating money is good because it provides calculable validation. In other words, the utility of the receivers is quantifiable and tangible (number of meals, hygiene kits, water tanks provided, number of homes rebuilt, etc. ). This tangibility clearly illustrates that the utility of the receiver exceeds the marginal cost to the giver and produces the greatest amount of happiness over unhappiness. Why the Utilitarian Argument is Stronger There is an epistemic problem that weakens the argument given by the Ethical Egoist. We do not know precisely what the consequences will be. We expect that the intangible benefits include self-satisfaction, enjoyment of giving, and happiness from providing financial aid, and we estimate that the costs consist of the actual donation payment and all related opportunity costs; however, we do not know exactly what the consequences will be and the extent of the results. It is, thus, difficult to gauge whether donating to charity is actually in the giver’s best self-interest exclusively because the associated costs may be very great (the giver may end up poorer or the donation-transaction process may be stressful; both situations would not be to his or her advantage). The immeasurability and intangibility of the benefits also weakens the argument. Ayn Rand, an Ethical Egoist, responds to this objection and asserts that it is completely moral and permissible to offer aid to others even when one does not anticipate any tangible return; â€Å"personal reasons for offering aid—reasons consistent with one’s values and one’s pursuit of one’s own life—are sufficient to justify the act† (Gordon Shannon, 10/16/2010). Rand says that personal reasons, such as values and pursuit of a flourishing life, are adequate to justify the act. We run, however, into a problem: just because we have a moral justification to give aid, does it mean we are morally required to give aid? Rand provides a moral justification, but not a moral mandate; this makes the argument put forth by Ethical Egoism weak. While Ethical Egoism provides a convincing argument and response to the objection, the Utilitarian argument is stronger because it buffers against the epistemic problem and provides quantitative, calculable validation. The problem of epistemology does not apply to or weaken the Utilitarian argument because we know what the consequences will be, based on present initiatives. Plan UK has provided cooked meals to over 250,000 people, shelter for 230,000, water tanks, hygiene kits, and medicines for thousands of families (Plan UK). We know how the money will benefit the Pakistani villagers and we can quantify the amount of happiness and good that entails the act of giving aid to others. To summarize: Ethical Egoism says that we ought to pursue our own self-interests exclusively. The morally right act is the one that benefits the self. There is, however, an epistemic problem. We do not know what the consequences will be or the extent of these outcomes. Donating to charity may not benefit the self. Utilitarianism, however, avoids the problem of epistemology and immeasurability. Therefore, Utilitarianism is the stronger argument. Conclusion In this paper, I have presented the theories of Ethical Egoism and Utilitarianism, delved into the morally relevant facts, and reflected on why each argument is good. I illustrated why Utilitarianism is stronger by appealing to a weakness of Ethical Egoism. Thus, the Utilitarian perspective that we have a moral duty to donate money to help Pakistani villagers is a better argument.

The Shame of Family Films

The The Shame of Family Films In the article â€Å"The Shame of Family Films† the author, Julia Baird, discusses how there is a lack of female heroines or female main characters in children’s movies. She then goes on to describe a study done by Stacy Smith and Marc Choueiti at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, who analyzed 122 family films, including the fifty top-grossing ones during the years 2006 to 2009, ranging from G to PG-13. In the study they found that 29. 2 percent of the characters were female.They also found that one in four characters were portrayed â€Å"sexy, tight, or alluring attire†, which was compared to one in twenty-five male characters. The author then went on discuss how many women were found behind all these children’s movies. She referred to a study called The Annenburg Study that was commissioned by Geena Davis Institute and it found that the percentage of animators who were female, the percentage of women who form crowd scenes in family films, and the percentage of female narrators were all seventeen percent. Related article: Shame is Worth a Try SummaryThis article made me think back to the movies I watched as a child and I realized that a lot of those movies were also sexist. Many of the movies were and are made with traditional gender roles set in them. They portrayed a feeble main female character that was saved by a strong male character or a main character was a very strong minded male who was assisted by a female sidekick. I agree with Baird that there is a lack of heroines in children’s movies. Many children may continue to follow the traditional gender roles because of the movies they watch.Boys will think that they are suppose to be strong, powerful, and intelligent and the girls will think that they have to be weak and that even if they are strong and have power, a male will always have more power. I would like to see more female characters in children’s movies not abiding by the traditional gender roles because I think little girls should know that they can give boys a run for their money when it comes to becoming strong and powerful. I grew up with the traditional gender roles and I hated that I had to.I didn’t like when my brothers and I would play â€Å"doctor’s office† or â€Å"school†, I had to be the nurse or teacher when they were able to be the doctor or principal. It made me feel like I was second best compared to them and I don’t think any little girl should feel the way I used to feel. Every child should feel like they can become whatever he or she wants and should not limit themselves because of the gender roles many are taught as a child. Reference: http://www. newsweek. com/2010/09/22/why-family-films-are-so-sexist. html

Sexual Assault Among Male And Female Students Essay

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